Relocation for Dry Eye

Have you ever found a place where maybe you visited or stayed at for any length of time that helped your chronic dry eye? Every year, we visit the beach in Oregon. Like the dry-eye sufferer I am these days, my first thought when preparing to visit somewhere concerns the climate and the humidity levels. It feels sad, but it’s a must when considering any kind of travel. Lucky for me, the beach has humidity levels that run about 75 to 95 percent every day.

My eyes felt almost normal at the beach

This past week, while visiting the beach, my eyes felt completely normal for the first time. I still kept up with my dry eye routine, something that I stick to no matter what, even when my eyes feel decent. I vividly remember standing on the beach at sunset, thinking to myself, “Wow. My eyes feel so good.”

I wasn’t checking them in the mirror obsessively like I normally do. It felt good. It felt free. I got to thinking, “What would life be like if I could live here forever?” Of course, it was wishful thinking, but it is something I have been considering since I got back.

Where I live currently, it is considered a desert. While most people think of Seattle when you mention that you live in Washington, the state’s east side is primarily a very dry, hot place to live. Humidity in the summer stays around 15 percent. Though I have a few humidifiers in my home, they have a hard time keeping up with that kind of low humidity. We also have terrible forest fires that often blanket the sky with smoke for months at a time. When you step outside, it is like you are attending a bonfire and it can be hard to breathe. The cool beach air was such a nice break from it all.

With pain relief came happiness

Another impact on my dry eye was my mental health during that time at the beach. I never bought into that statement that Disneyland is the “happiest place on earth.” Personally, I believe that the beach is. That could be because any reprieve from chronic pain is a huge relief. When you experience that, it is hard to let it go and come back to reality. It felt nice to not think about my eyes or the pain. My eyes felt full of moisture. I even stayed up late, which is unusual for me. Normally, at the end of the day, my eyes are toast. Sleeping is a nice break when you have chronic dry eye.

I still inserted my autologous serum drops 8 times a day but, to be honest, there were times I completely forgot because my eyes felt so good. At home, I count down the minutes until my next drop, which provides a little temporary relief.

Would you move for chronic dry eye relief?

Nevertheless, I did go back home and, within an hour, my eyes started hurting badly and the redness was back in full force. The beach is sounding really good right now. Have you ever considered relocating due to chronic dry eye?